


Slavery's Chains

by Le_Alois



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Slavery, Atlantic Slave Trade, Blood and Gore, Derogatory Language, Ehtiopia, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Historical References, I don't care if it offends you, If You Get Into Your Feelings Over History, Languages and Linguistics, Requited Love, Romance, Sexual Fantasy, Sexual Slavery, Sexual Tension, Slavery, Violence, don't read it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2018-10-18 09:12:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10613799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Le_Alois/pseuds/Le_Alois
Summary: Kidnapped from her home, held at the bottom of a ship for months in her own filth, bodily fluids and sorrow, Hannah wonders what she had done to Allah to deserve this. Brought to the docs where she is bought by a rich family, the Trancy family simply because she is a young, strong looking woman, Hannah realizes she is no longer free.She is a slave.A Slave must tend to her master.A Slave must respect "Massa".A Slave must keep her mouth shut and take whatever is given.But there is a soft side in her new master, an annoying blonde boy who thinks he can speak her native tongue. A relationship forms between her and her master, mutual feelings turn into something more.Read at your own risk. :)  - Le_Alois





	1. Auction Day

**'(pparently, this is "Racist". So let me clear it up for you- If this was historically acceptable not 200 years ago and everything that is happening in this story was perfectly acceptable then I, BREILANII, can write a historical fanfic about it if I please and I will do so. If you feel like this offends you or insults the Kuroshitsuji fandom- then take a look at all of the Pedophilia stories in this fandom, all of the slavery Au's in this fandom and I'm not gonna lie- I take part in it too because that's what we ship  because It makes us happy (E.X "Hannah My Mommy", "My Bestfriends Daddy")) and who are you to come and belittle someone's ship simply because YOU do not like it? I keep my comments moderated because not a few months ago I was spammed with hate simply for shipping Alois x Hannah. Some people do not support SebaCiel, Aloix x Ciel or heck- Claude x Sebastian and they don't go out of their way to bash them simply because they don't like it. This is 2017, this is the INTERNET So, if you don't like what you see you can keep it pushing aint nobody forcing you to stop and chat. So basically, if you don't like this, I DON'T CARE. HIT ME IN MY INSTAGRAM DM @Breilanii and we can talk then.)**

 

 

**_((A/N Tau IS Hannah)))_ **

 

"Father, I hear there are some people that will be arriving at the docks today!" The blonde haired youth said in utmost happiness. "Since Tije left, I've been lonely and I want another friend father! Will you please oh please buy me one?"

The fat old man lowered his newspaper, casting his son a wary look. "Alois, they are savages, slaves that are only meant to do our bidding. I will not have you adress them as people." The man shifted and sighed. "Yes, whatever. Take Charles to the docks and don't bring back a weak one, bring one that's ready to work, young and strong. Leave me be." He waved him off.

"Oh thank you father!" With a flurry, Alois was gone.

...

"COME ON CHARLES BEFORE ALL THE GOOD ONES ARE GONE!" The blonde youth screamed at his butler for taking too long to secure the carriage.  
"Do forgive me-." The butler began.  
"Forget it, meet me at the docks." With that he turned and ran off.

Maybe he could find one like Tije. Big, old and loving with a voice of honey.  
Alois ran all the way to the docks, his breath ragged. They were already selling them.  
Calling and naming prices. Shotguns at the ready.  
These people fascinated him! Especially their dark skin, he could stare at it and wonder for days what exactly made it dark.

There was a way he preferred to shop. He didn't poke and prod at them like animals, because as far as he could see they were human, just like him.  
So Alois lurked around in the back, trying to figure out which one he wanted. He would get a child, but father would work them to death. He wanted an adult, a woman preferably. Young and strong. The men intimidated him with their big muscles and serious faces.

"This ones got silky hair and blue eyes with the mix of dark skin! Straight from Ethiopia!" The man grabbed Tau's jaw "She'd make a fine sex slave indeed!"  
Tau yanked her head away and bared her teeth at him, fire in her eyes. Her hands were shackled but she was intimidating.  
She was tall and dark, strong facial muscles and a tight jaw.

"Gaurds! Gaurds restrain the Nigga!" He shoved her off the stage and her body hit the floor with the thud.  
She spat an insult at him, quick, sassy and in another language.  
They aimed the guns at her, ready to end her life.  
Tau dug her nails into the dirt, tensing up. What were those weapons? What exactly did they plan to do?

"I'll take her! 20,000 quid on behalf of the Trancy Family!" The blonde youth appeared out of the crowd, a serious look on his face.  
The seller scowled and waved his hand in a dismissive manner.  
"Just have your father send the commission. Take the savage, she's yours." With that he waddled away, after tossing Alois the keys to the shackles.

Tau stared up at the two, curiosity in her eyes. What were they discussing?  
Alois kneeled down beside her and offered her a soft smile.

"Hello." Alois greeted warmly, in her own native tongue.  
"Goodbye." She pushed her hand out; establishing a personal space boundary.

Alois wasn't that advanced in that language, Tije went away before she taught him anymore. He understanded she said 'Goodbye' but he didn't know what to say back, because he never learned.

He awkwardly offered her another reassuring smile and slowly began to undo the shackles. Once the last one fell off, she rubbed her wrist sore.  
Alois watched her. She seemed sane. She seemed like Tije. She seemed like a human.

Tau looked up and saw the boy looking at her, that smile still on his face. It made her feel uncomfortable. What was he going to do with her?  
It was clear to her an exchange was made between the two men. He got the keys and the man got the money.  
Oh, Tau knew she'd just been bought. But bought for what? Sex? Work? Just what?

"Sir, the carrige is parked, shall we get to shopping then?" Charles paused and looked at Tau. "Oh. I see you've already acquired a slave."

"I'm not going anywhere." Tau pointed out.  
No on understood her. So they didn't pay her any mind.

Alois looked up and Charles and snickered. "Indeed I have. Bring the carriage around and help me get her in?"

  
...

These women, the women they bring across from Africa. They were strong, stronger than your average European man.  
It took atleast three men, well two men and a teenage boy to force Tau into the carriage.

Charles tried to hold her feet as Alois held her hands. She gave him one hard shove and Alois ended up on the floor. Tau stood straight and grabbed Charles around the middle, her legs wide and set into the dirt for footing as sheer body strength slammed the butler to the floor.

That was when another man came over and tried to wrestle Tau, but he ended up the same way.

They cleared their heasds and stood up. They locked her in a circle. She was on alert, keeping jer gaurd up.

Alois dove at her legs, using all of his strength to hold them and avoid being kicked in the face. Charles hugged her middle and the other man helped them force her into the carrige.

Even then, she kicked at the interior and screamed in her native tongue "Let me out!"

Alois had to ride with charles in the front, because he was scared she might murder him if he rode back there.

Tije was nothing like this. When he bought her, at the age of 10, she was a calm and gentle woman, middle-aged with brown skin. She got in the carriage quietly and stared at the passing scene.  
He'd been her caretaker ever since, well she left last year.  
She left for what she called 'Utopia.' A peaceful place where life continued after death.

It made Alois sad that Tije had left. Father would call her every night to his bedroom. He could hear them. Tije never liked it, but Father would force himself onto her.  
Father had Syphilis. Of course he got treated because he was rich. He also refused to pay for Tije's treatment.  
So she went away.

Tau kicked at the carrige window and it broke. She gave the door one hard kick and it flew open.

The scene was a blur. They were moving quickly.  
It reminded Tau of the time the she chased down her dinner. Mama made wonderful boiled Jaguar that night.

And Tau jumped. She landed in a tuck and roll. The carrige was still moving.  
Tau sneered. That boy. That cocky idiot had the nerve to hold her feet?  
He would regret the day he met her.

Alois hummed a soft tune as he stared at the scenery. All of a sudden he saw a quick movement in the corner of his eye.  
Alois barely had time to glance ovee before he snatched by the collar.

Tau and the English boy went tumbling. They landed in a ditch at the side of the road.

Alois had never been in a scuffle before, but it was clear what she intended to do if he did nothing. Alois grabbed her hands from his collar and tried to wrestle onto the top.  
Tau held him down, letting her weight damp on his core.

Alois didn't understand. He did not heed her warning. He wriggled and writhed, pushing her away instead of off.  
Tau sneered and snatched her hands away. She grabbed his head and brought her forehead onto his own, violently.  
And Alois fell back. He was conscious. But everything was a muddle.

All of a sudden, Tau froze and fell forward onto him, burying her face in his shoulder.  
Charles stood behind her, holding a pistol. 


	2. Ain't it fun?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suicide is the best option.

Everything was nothingness. She floated there for who knows how long before she regained her senses. Her eyes were closed and her face was gentle. She could feel somebody's hand, warm and gentle caressing her cheek. She could feel the warmth of a throw on her body and her uncomfortable sticky clothing were not there, blood, feces and dirt did not stick to her skin anymore.  
She felt comfortable, as if she could slip into deep sleep. But then flashbacks of the slave traders capturing her, the humiliating inspection of her body, those horrible six months on the bottom of that forsaken ship in the darkness and the cold.

Panic seized her body and she shot up and looked around quickly. Taking in her surroundings she found out she was in a room with odd colors and double doors. The window was glass and sunlight spewed into the room. She glanced around once more, trying to gather herself, but she could not.  
She practically jumped when she saw that boy, the boy with the yellow hair and blue eyes, with his pale skin and smug look upon his face. She wanted to slap it off his face, preferably slap him into color.

The darker a person was the more gorgeous they were and he wasn't too hot in that area.

"Hello!" Alois smiled and clasped his hands together. "We might have gotten off on the wrong foot, but I won't hurt you, I promise." Alois knew she didn't know what he was saying but she was staring at him with calculating sapphire eyes.

She saw his smile and his clasped hands. She saw the way his blue eyes lit up with... happiness? Could these savages feel emotion? Did they even bleed? She slowly got into a crouch on the bed and moved backwards away from him. He didn't make a move to stop her, but he watched her. She placed one foot on the floor then the other. She took her hands off of the bed and backed into the wall opposite of him and pressed her body flat.

He tilted his head. "I'm Alois Trancy, what's your name?" He asked. She didn't speak, she just kept staring at him.   
Alois sighed and snapped his fingers. "Uh..." He racked his brain for Tije's native tongue. "Me..." Alois struggled to pronounce the foreign word. "Alois... Who... You?"

She snorted. "Tau."

Alois furrows his brow. "What type of name is Ta?"

She understood the mispronounced use of her name. "Tau." She said once more.

"Ta? Ta? Tau? Oh!" Alois laughed. "Tau! You're named after an animal!" He got up and she pressed her body flatter, her eyes darting around the room for a weapon.  
Alois walked over to the dresser and opened the drawer. He pulled out a small book and opened it, flipping pages. The book was Tije's, she wrote down her own language in here and he wrote his own they could translate what each other was saying.

Alois flipped a page and glanced up at her. She set him with a mean look. He flipped another and then glanced at her. She was still mean-mugging him.

"Tau means Lion," Alois said to himself. He spent another two minutes flipping through the pages trying to form a sentence in the foreign language.

"Tau... means Lion...is it... tribal?" He asked, careful to pronounce the words. If he mispronounced he could be saying something different or insulting her.

She let out a sigh. "The Lion is the symbol of power, it's the leader of my tribe." She let out a dry chuckle. "I'm Royalty, what are you?"

Alois stared at her lips as she spoke. Then he slowly nodded, not understanding a single word he said. "How about we stick to simple sentences from now on?" He flipped a few pages in the book before he spoke. "Tau won't do... your name is... Hannah... from now on." He translated carefully.

Tau raised her eyebrows,   
seemingly taken aback. "My name is Tau." She stated. "It will only be Tau."

"Your name is Hannah." Alois replied.

"My name is Tau." Hannah argued.

Alois looked down at the book and flipped pages back and forth. "My  
Father... won't approve." He stated slowly. "Either take the name or be beaten to death."

Hannah pressed her lips together and began to mean-mug him once more. She crossed her arms and jutted out her hip. "Tau." She stated firmly.

Alois sighed and looked down at his book. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Alois spoke in her tongue once more. "I'm going to teach you two English sentences- if you don't learn them Father will have you killed."

Hannah rolled her eyes and shifted her weight.

"Yes, Master." Alois said. "No, Master."

Hannah scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I'm not saying that, I am nobody's slave."

"Hannah," Alois said in a warning tone. "Yes, Master or No, Master."

Hannah spit at him. "Fuck you," She snapped.

Alois rolled his eyes. He threw the book down and clapped his hands. The doors opened and two butlers came in. They went over to Hannah and took her wrist. She struggled and tried to rip away but her strength hadn't reached its prime since she had woken up. She was quite tired.

She eventually gave up and that was when the butlers led her out of the room, following Alois.  
Hannah looked at her surroundings as she was led away from the bedroom.

The hallways were as wide as a river and as tall as an acacia tree. There was a funny smell, something she couldn't identify but would come to learn it was Pine. The floor was soft a points and hard, covered with wood. Hannah wondered why it hadn't made her feet bleed yet. There were old vintage knickknacks and paintings all over the walls.

They turned corner and came to another set of double doors. The blonde boy came to a stop and inhaled then exhaled. He squared his shoulders and stood straight. Hannah tilted her head a bit. Was he scared? Nervous?

Alois glanced back at her. "Behave," He warned before knocking on the door.   
From inside a voice called. "Enter,"  
and Alois pushed the doors open and walked into the large office.  
He strolled right up to the desk.

There was a fat old man, Pale with a hint of brown- a very-very-very light hint in his skin with molds all over his fat face. He was going bald and he was breathing hard. Hannah scowled. If she was really a slave she'd prefer if the annoying blonde boy was her master. From just looking at that old man she knew he was disgusting.

"I've returned from the slave auction a few hours ago, but I had pressing matters to attend to. Do forgive me, Father." Alois said in a calm, even tone.   
The old man waves a hand. "Think nothing of it, bring the slave forward." Earl Trancy eyeballs the young woman.  
The butlers bring her forward and she wrenches away just as they go to let her go. She loosens her stance and looks down upon them with her glowing sapphires as if they were below her. They were below her, far below her.

Earl Trancy's beady brown eyes looks her up and down, studying her. "She's light enough to be a house slave." He says.  
Alois nods his head and crosses his arms, looking down at his shoes as a dread fills his stomach. He thinks of how he said Tije was light enough to be a house slave. She was not, she was darker than a paper bag. Hannah is darker than a paper bag, she should be a labor slave.

"She looks young and strong," He turns to his son. "Did she come with a child? Or husband? Her hips look full."   
Alois shakes his head. "No, she came alone."   
He gently laughs, a deep husky tone. "You have picked well, Son. She'll be in her prime for many years." He waves his hand. "Undress her."

Alois clears his throat. "She's already been checked."  
"No harm in doing it again." Earl Trancy smirks.  
The butlers move forward and one takes her hands while the other makes a move to lift the soft cotton gown about her.

Hannah wrenches her hands away, realizing what was about to be done to her. She drives her elbow back into the other butler's nose and he falls on his ass. Hannah grabs the other by his wrist and kicks him in the crotch before head butting him. "Are you mad? How dare you?" She screams at the two.

Hannah whips around, a mean look on her face. Earl Trancy sits up, alarmed. Alois backs up a bit.

Her chest is heaving and her finger nails dig in the palm of her hands. Then she runs over to the glass widow and launches herself through it. Glass shards fly everywhere. Hannah covers her face, tensing her body as she falls  
through.

Alois gawks. "Is she mad?!" He runs over to the window in just enough time to see her land in a tuck and roll. He expects her to get up and start running but she doesn't move.


	3. Determination Is Not All You Need To Win A Fight

{Hannah's P.O.V.}

The bottom of the ship was dark, wet and musty.  
It smelled like shit and bodily fluids.  
My sweat was running cold. Would I ever see my mother again? Would I ever see my sisters, my bothers?  
Would I ever see Ethiopia again?  
Shackles clamped my hands and feet, confirming me to three other people. They were all faces from my tribe. The Oromo tribe.

I could still feel the tribal paint on my face, beautiful tribal markings that contrast to my skin, my beautiful dark skin. It was the middle of the night, the celebration of the men's safe return. I wondered off from all the dancing and music for a breath of air.  
And that's when they snatched me.  
I'd screamed, of course I'd screamed. They were pale men, with odd colored eyes and straight hair.  
That didn't bother me, I was like them too. I had oddly colored eyes and straight hair. It wasn't commom but i had them.   
It was the force, the scary choker they put around my neck and dragged me off by my hands and feet.

  
"Tau!"

Looking up to see who was calling my name, I'd spotted Adda. She sat a few people down with chains and shackles on her too.

"Asha?" I'd called back.

"Tau what's happening? I'm scared." Asha called, her dark brown eyes alight wih worry and fear.

"I don't know, just sit tight, everything will be fine, Asha." I'd replied, trying to keep my tone leveled and steady. If I showed weakness, fear, then Asha would know something was definitely wrong.   
But I knew everything wouldn't be fine.  
I was scared too.  
I watched as Asha ran her fingers through her big frizzy ebony hair. The hatchet flew open to reveal sunlight.   
It was daytime. How many days have I been down here Mom? How many days until I get to see you again Mama?   
Oh Mother, I wish you were here with me.

"Meal time, Niggas!" Called one of the white men as he clambered down the stairs. He was short and fat, curly brown hair and the most beady eyes I'd ever seen.

Then he proceeded to throw hot gruel on us, onto our skin. Our beautiful skin. Burning it and degrading it. We wouldn't protest, they'd throw us overboard if we did.  
So we swallowed our pride and ate the hot tasteless gruel.

Atleast it was something. I'd longed for cooked food, meat. I watched him. As he degraded my Kin, throwing gruel on them and calling them unspeakable things.   
He got some gruel on his hand. He screamed and jumped as it turned red and became blistered. Our skin didn't turn red or blister.

I smirked. They treated us as if we weren't equal. But in truth, we were superior. Leaning back, I closed my eyes and listened to the waves lapping the side of the boat. I could hear the girls not a few feet away crying and praying. Those were the same girls those men, savages, had used last night. I hadn't been used yet. Maybe it was because I'm covered in shit? I smell horrible? Maybe it's because I am ugly? Non-human in their eyes? Nonetheless, I am thankful. My innocence belongs to no one.

Mama, whatever I come to face in the next few days, I will tear it down and I prevail. No one can tell me otherwise, after all, I am the Lion of the Omoro tribe.  
I am Tau. 


	4. A/N

**_I'm gonna put this story on hold for a little bit, maybe a week or so. I need to do a bit more research so I can add some history into the mix._ **

**_I did hear of human zoo's, though._ **

_-Le_Alois_

_P.S. This story was written in advance. I just need to edit it out a bit._


	5. Fayaadha

Once again, she found herself in a comfortable bed, nothing like the hard mat she slept on at home with her siblings. There was a single light source to her right, a small white torch. She would come to know it was a candle.  
With a groan Hannah pulled herself upright in the bed. Hannah's body ached her. She felt like someone had shaken up her insides.

She got one good look at the room and deemed this wasn't a dream- for at least the hundredth time. She wouldn't wake up in her mother's hut, her naked little brother in her arms, cuddling up to her as he slept and the smell of dinner being cooked. She wouldn't, not now not ever.

"Tsutey," Hannah whispered to herself, placing her hands over her breast.

For the first time in a long time, Tau allowed herself to cry. Salty tears leaked down her cheeks, falling onto her breast and her nose became congested with snot that soon made it way to rest on her upper lip.

Opening her mouth, she let out a loud cry, a heart wrenching. She would never see home, she would never see her brothers and sister, she would never see Ethiopia again. These people... These savages! They ripped her from her home and brought her to this foreign land with these white people, these white savages. Every time she thought about how her life would be after this, she broke down all over again.

Were they were culture snatchers too? Would they make her cut her hair? Wash away her markings? Take away her piercings too?

Heart wrenchingly, she slowly got up from the comfort of the bed. It was the only comfortable thing about this hell. Her feet touched the hard wood floor and she nearly fell, her own body weight too heavy to carry. Placing one hand on the bed to steady herself, she slowly moved towards the door. 

Tau could vaguely remember what happened before she jumped out of the window. Those two men tried to take off her dress and she snapped. How dare they? It was foolish, it was disrespectful. She did not take kindly to disrespect. If she were to say anything in the slightest that hinted disrespect, Binta, her mother would cuff her face so hard she'd bleed. So, she would unleash her wrath on anyone who even tried to disrespect, disregard, one up, or undermine her.

When she tried to regain her balance, letting the bed go, the door opened and she looked up. It was that annoying blonde boy and he was accompanied by a woman with dark skin, dark eyes and big, dark hair. She had holes in her face signaling that she possessed piercings, it was set in such a way to show she was a warrior of some sort.  
But Tau couldn't recall which tribe pierced their warriors in such a manner.  
"Tau, of the Omoro tribe." Hannah inclined her head towards the woman.   
The woman's eyes lit up and she smiled. "Tiwa, Zulu tribe." She spread her arms gracefully. "The Lion will conquer,"

A smile played on Tau's lips, showing her brilliant teeth between her plump dark lips. "Only with the help of the lioness," 

"English," Alois announced. "Only English is spoken in this household." He clasped his hands together and smiled. "Hannah, this is Annie." Tau refused to admit the name, but that was what they called her. Tiwa, or Annie seemed to have accept her name, given to her by these people. Hannah gave her a hard look, piercing her dark brown eyes with her sapphires ones. Annie inclined her head.

Alois moved aside and ushered the woman into the room. "Annie, get her dressed and bring her to the main hall when you're done."   
Annie nodded. "Yes, Master Alois," She said, her voice was smooth and sultry.

Hannah watched as that annoying blonde boy closed the door and listened as he fled, his heels clicking on the wood floor. She turned her attention to Tiwa.

"Why are we here? How can you bow to the whims of these people? Have you no shame? I need to leave; how do I leave?!" Tau bombarded Tiwa with questions, her voice raising with every word.

Tiwa held her hands up, demanding silence. Tau furrowed her brows and watched Tiwa with a sour look. Tiwa silently walked over to the closet and pulled out a basic eggshell colored dress shirt and a pair of black pants. She spoke in English.

"Master Trancy," She switched to their native tongue. "Has decided that you're problematic, so he is sending you to the gutters to die in a fight to the death."

Tau could barely believe her ears. Her mouth fell open in disbelief. She blinked and tried to compose herself. Taking a deep breath, she asked "What if I don't die?"

Tiwa glanced back at her. "Then Master Trancy will win money and you will be a profit, but you will remain a house slave. Trust me, I've tried to escape and all I've got to show are scars on my back and a missing pinkie toe."

Fear rose in her stomach and she felt like she wanted to throw up. She held her stomach and sat down on the bed, staring into space.

"When I first came here," Tiwa continued. "I was like you, an upstart and always trying to escape. But I soon realized that there is no escape. We're far, far away from home, across the ocean in a new land, Tau." Tiwa placed the clothing on the bed and came over, placing her hands on Tau's shoulders. 

"But..." Tau couldn't find the words. 

Tiwa solemnly shook her head. "The best you can do now is obey the master. Maybe you'll be able to work your way to freedom or into his bed. Life is eas-"

"Are you suggesting I whore myself out to that obese roach?" Tau snapped, looking up at Tiwa with fire in her eyes. “Just to survive? If that is the kind of life I must live I will die fighting.” 

Tiwa sighed and shook her head. “What was your ranking in the Oromo tribe? I see you have- “

“Fayaadha?” (Are you healthy?) Hannah asks harshly as she got up, brushing Tiwa’s hands from her. “You keep your heritage locked up and I know you pride it, but you refuse to fight for it.” 

“Tau-“

“It’s pathetic. Are there more of us? Brought here against our will? You guys disgrace our mother Africa and I will have none of it!”

“Tau! It is the only way to survive! Keep your head low and do your work and maybe one day the master will let us go!”

“Are you dense Tiwa? I just came here and I already realize that there will be no day we will be free!”


	6. Chapter 5

"Where is that nigga?" Earl Trancy impatiently asked. "She should have just died when she jumped out of the window." He grunted in a distasteful manner.   
Alois let out a sigh and uncomfortably crossed his long legs. "Father, we just got her she's probably lost and confused as to what she's supposed to be doing." He looked down at his lap, solem. "She doesn't speak English at all." 

Earl Trancy scoffed. "I knew I should have sent Charles to buy a slave. She's as good as useless to us. If she dies in the gutters she'll atleast but a little money in our pockets."

Alois pouted. "Father I don't see why were taking her to the gutters! You said it yourself she's light enough to be a house slave!"

"Well I changed my mind."

...

Hannah tugged at the tight polyester dress that hugged her curvy form in a distasteful manner. It was eggshell white, it pushed her breast up instead of pressing them down and it hugged her middle so tight she could barely breath and then there was a loose skirt that flared out at the bottom. The basic flats on her feet felt... weird on the bottom of her feet. They were hard- not soft like a lion's hide.

 

"It's itchy." She says flatly. 

Tiwa sighs for the hundredth time that day. "You'll get used to it, eventually." 

"If I do not die, what then?" Hannah asked as Tiwa took her hand and led her out of the bedroom. 

Tiwa warily shruggs. "Then you live another day." 

Tiwa emerged from the manor, leading Hannah behind her towards the carriage waiting by the fountain. Without a word, Tiwa ushered Hannah into the carriage, picking up her skirt and pushing it in behind her.

"I ought to afford you twenty lashes you blundering idiot!" Earl Trancy yelled as he gave Tiwa an abrupt slap. "You wait on me, I do not wait on you, is that clear, Nigga?" 

Tiwa's dark brown eyes are cast down as she holds her cheeks. "Yes, Master." 

Tau doesn't understand what the overgrown white man is saying but she understands what Tiwa answers- the only English words she knows aside from "Nigga" which she knows is used to insult; 'Yes, Master.' She put two and two together and almost immediately and her sapphires got dark, stormy. 

Alois sees her mood go from confusion to straight anger, her features contorting. "Hannah," he says in warning as he reaches out, hoping she will understand. 

In a second flat, Tau is upon Earl Trancy's big frame. She pummels his head and face, sending punch after punch down on him. Her legs are planted firmly onto the floor of the carriage, her legs pushing foward so he cannot push her off no matter how hard he tries.  
Earl Trancy never really realized how strong Niggas were until now, he thought he could one them up in everything but he was surely wrong. "Get! Off! Of me you Nigga!" He screams. his face becoming red in anger and from Tau's blows.

"Say it again!" Tau pauses, yelling loudly in Afrikaan. When he opens his mouth to speak once again Tau strikes him right in his mouth, making him bleed.  
Alois is like a bug, flickering around her prey as he tries to break it up. Tau grabs a handful of his hair and flings him to the other side of the carriage. 

Tiwa presses her lips tightly together to avoid laughing and smiling. She can already see Tau will be a burden but one she is willing to carry.

It takes Charles, Tiwa and an estate butler to get Tau off of Earl Trancy and by then his face is red and bloody and he has a concussion. The trip to the gutters is cancelled.

...

When Charles attemps to rip the dress off of her frame in order to whip her, Tau turns and grabs his shoulders, atempting to wrestle him down to the floor so she could wash him with licks.

"Tau, no!" Tiwa warns as she rushes to pull Tau away. "You've already beaten the Master badly, he may want your head when he gets better, don't make it harder on yourself!"

Tau is still fuming. "As long as these cloths are on my back they are MINE! Don't you dare try to take them off of me!"

Charles straightens himself up as he tries to ignore Tau yelling at him in a incomprehensible language. "You'll get your whipping sooner or later!" He snaps at her before he turns and walks off. 

Tau relaxed when he turned and walked away. "Disgusting." She says before spitting on the ground where he stood.

 

"Tiwa," Alois calls from his onlooker spot on the balcony. 

Tau and Tiwa look up at Alois. Tau sets him with a look. In her book, he is next to collect a beating from her because Charles broke up their first scuffle.

"Yes, Master?" Tiwa answers. 

"Hannah seems to listen to you, especially when you speak... Afrikaan to her." He looked at his nails. "I want you to be her mentor, he overlooker." 

Tiwa nodded. "Understood." She takes Tau's hand and leads her off. "Come along." She says in Afrikaan.

Tau complies but she looks up at Alois and he smiles and waves. Tau makes a foul face and slide her finger across her neck slowly. 

"Disgusting."


	7. Tiwa Has a bond, and that is a proud name

((A/N If you cannot pronounce Tau it is sounded out like "Ta-oo", "Tawu" or "Tow". Either is fine.))

Tau was like a curious but mischievous child, following Tiwa around for the rest of the day. She bombarded her with questions and interrupted her tasks for no reason at all.  
Tiwa inhaled, exhaled and answered her truthfully. Afterall, Tau was new to this country and she did not know the language nor did she know their ways. She was just like Tau when she was brought here. 

"Do you have children?" Tau asks curiously as she follows Tiwa through the kitchen to the pantry. House slaves look at Tau, her odd hair and eyes, the odd language she spoke and the way she carried herself- With confidence and certainty, with pride.

Tiwa lets out a small sigh. "I had children. Kemet and... Tau." She pressed her lips together firmly before speaking again. "Kemet was 12 full moons old and I'd just had Tau when I was brought here. I wonder everyday if Mama is watching over them."

Tau said a small "Oh." She follows Tiwa around the corner. "I have a baby brother, Tsutey is his name... Last moon I was holding him in my arms and now I'm here. I haven't even had a chance to find a husband."

Tiwa did not speak for a long time after that. They walked silently. As they entered the Pantry, Tiwa spoke.

"Why did your mom name you Tau? Tau is a boys name and it means warrior, Lion. Are you of any status in the Oromo tribe?" 

Tau hummed. "The elders foretold that her first child would be a boy, a strong boy that would pride her in every way, so she had the naming ceremony months before my birth to please my father, Omoro." Tau held the door for Tiwa, seeing she had a basket in her hand. "And my father ranks highly in the village but he pays due respect to the elders."

"Your mother?" Tiwa asked as she pulled a bag of flour off of the shelf.

Hannah lets out a dreamy sigh. "She is beautiful. She is the blackest woman in the village. At the celebration my father spotted her, she was just a normal village girl too. But her blackness was ultimately beautiful." Tau touches her face, touching her skin. "I wish I were as black as her, had her dark eyes and big dark hair. Binta. Binta, is her name."

"How do you think your mother feels now that you're gone?" 

Tau's smile fell and so did her heart. She avoided thinking about that since she had been taken a full moon ago. She stays quiet, following Tiwa around the pantry as she fills up her basket.

"She..." Tau finally says. "Is a strong woman and no doubt Tsutey will make her proud..." 

"How do you feel to be gone?"

"I feel nothing." Tau says. "I've been praying to Allah and I know one day I will set foot back into that village. A warrior always comes home."

...

Tiwa warily puts a pan of biscuits into the stove oven and wipes her forehead with a dull white cloth. Tau stands behind her, tall and strong, watching what she is doing.  
She knows one day she will have to do the same and she is hoping that day is not soon.

"And they will... rise?" Tau asks in a confused manner.

"Yes, Tau. They will rise into soft biscuits." Tiwa answers as she fixes her apron. "What is your favorite food?" 

"Edo and boiled Jaguar meat." Tau answers before she unknowingly licks her lips.

"Edo and Jaguars are not native to this place." Tiwa says. "The only food slaves get is pork bacon, bread and other unhealthy options that causes early death." Tiwa reaches out and touches Tau's taught, flat stomach. "You'll soon get fat and lose that beautiful shape if you even dare delve into the foods slave consume."

"But... a womans body is sacred..." Tau says, befuddled. "She is supposed to take care of it and keep it nice. Why would a woman want to ruin that?"

Tiwa shruggs. "Slaves are brainwashed into forgetting their culture in order to survive." 

"I will hunt." Tau announces. "I want to be able to make a child one day, a beautiful dark child and live until I am withered."

Tiwa arches her eyebrow. "And where will you hunt?" she questions.

"The jungle." Tau points to the vast forest and countryside behind the house.

"Tau..."

...

Tau watches as Tiwa sweeps the grand staircase. She had to sweep Binta's hut every day and make sure that the pots were always clean or else the young village men would give her a beating.  
She also had to watch over Tsutey, make sure he was alright. He ran about naked, not old enough for clothes as yet and every night she made sure he was clean before they curled up together and slept.  
Tau was different from the rest of her family. Binta was a dark woman, dark eyes and long, big hair. She was the epitome of discipline and tough love. Omoro was more brown, dark eyes and long matted hair that interlocked forming big braids that dragged on the floor behind him wherever he went. He was an embodiment of pride and respect, he carried himself with pride and he never bowed his head, he conquered and survived anything life threw at him and he respected the elders. Tsutey was a dark little boy, he was more of babe running around doing baby stuff with his village friends. He more gravitated towards Tau than Binta because Tau always had time for him in a sense. Tau knew he would grow up and become a handsome young man who respected his elders and fought the Oromo tribe.

"How did you come here?" Tau asked suddenly.

Tiwa paused for a second before she continued sweeping. "How did you come here?" She asked in turn.

"After the men had come back from hunting and we held a big feast I walked off into tue jungle to get some fresh air..." Tau lamented. "I remember I had just finished dancing with the other young village women like myself, I still had the white markings on my body... I let my gaurd for one second and the next thing I knew they were upon me. I fought back, I swung my limbs like my life depended on it and in the end I was hit over the head with something and when I woke up I was on a large canoe."

Tiwa nodded her head as she swept under a table. "Well... I was coming home from the rice fields late, Tau on my back and Kemet was holding my hand. We didn't see them until they were there, they had guns and knives- all of them and they said if I came willingly I wouldn't get hurt." 

Tau's eyes widened. "Did you?"

"Of course not. I am a Zulu warrior and I fought viciously until the end." Tiwa answers pridefully. "I could hear Tau crying on my back and Kemet was screaming my name over and over again. I didn't yield until I was shot and the only reason Tau and Kemet are not with me is because they were too young to be taken. All I could do is watch Kemet holding his brother as I was taken away... I never saw them again." 

Tau was quiet for a minute before she spoke again. "I am sure they are fine. Kemet is 12 full moons old and Tau should be 11. If they have survived that long, they will survive still."


	8. Safe? Safe.

Hand-a?  
Han-a?  
Hen-a  
Hannah?  
Hannah.

Tau remembers the name forced upon her and she frowns. What type of monkey boy bring ram goat name was that? She didn't even know how to spell it- and she could spell some. She knew how to spell her name, write it in Arabic. It was the only thing she knew how to write because it is what her father taught her.  
She didn't get to learn anymore because unfortunately, her kidnapping ensued.

Tau stare at the ceiling with a blank face. She lays in the uncomfortable cot in the small room she resided in. Tiwa had left her here many hours ago. It was time to sleep, but she couldn't sleep. All she could do is lay awake and think. Think about all that has ensued in her life this past month.

Before she could get any further, the sound of the door opening hit her alert ears. Tau flew up and she locked eyes with that yellow haired boy whom she absolutely had no respect for and wanted to beat to the pulp. 

"Get up!" he hissed quietly in her native tongue. "Get up!"

Tau squinted. "And if I don't?" She answered in a challenging way.

Alois let out a annoyed sigh. He snapped his fingers, trying to recall the words he needed in order to communicate. Tau watched him closely, ready to spring if he made any move. 

"F-Father... Father!" He said.

Tau quirked her eyebrow. Didn't she give him a beatdown today?

"Coming." He pointed to himself and herself and then to the window. "Go now."

Tau rolled her eyes. "Let him-"

She was cut off by the sound of voices coming down the hallway and it sounded like more than two. One was complaining and the other two were... calm and this was solely off of tonal hearing. Tau put two and two together; what if his father is coming to kill her for what she did today and his minons are going to help? She had too much to do, she couldn't possibly die now.

"Go! Go!" Alois made wild motions towards the window with his hands and it didn't help that he stood there in a night dress. 

Tau sprung up and he rushed to open the window, partially because he didn't want her to jump through and because he knew she didn't know how to open it. Tau climbed through the window and dropped into the grass below it. She looked back up to see if he was coming because he was so 'enthusiastic' but he just closed the window and quickly whipped around. Almost... too quickly. 

She didn't like him anyway. Whatever happened to him happened. Tau took off into the night, not looking back. 

~♡~

Tiwa is summoned to Master Trancy's room early the next morning. He is standing by the window, looking out into the grey morning.

"Yes, master?" Tiwa asks.

"Annie..." Alois doesn't turn around. "Go and retrieve Hannah from the woods."

Tiwa did not ask why, for she already knew why. With a soft, sad, sigh, Tiwa went about her task.

...

Tau wakes up to Tiwa shaking her, hard. 

"Fayaadha!?" She asks over and over again, her tone worried and panicked.

Tau is confused. "Huh? I am fine, I am fine my sister." She grabs Tiwa's elbows to stop Tiwa from shaking her.

Tiwa sets her with a serious look."You are still a girl?" She asks in a seriousness.

Tau scrunches up her face. "I don't remember becoming a woman..." she answers slowly.

Tiwa sighs loudly, an exhale of relief. "Good. I don't want you to become another Tije." She puts her hands on Tau's face and caresses her soft brown skin. "You're too young and precious." and then shet becomes serious again, harshly grabbinh Tau's face. "What happened last night? why are you out here?"

Tau groans. "Tiwa..." She says in a muffled voice, her cheeks starting to hurt. 

~♡~

Tau watched as Tiwa waters the various, vibrant flowers she had never seen in her life. Tau really liked the red flower, a rose, she would soon come to know. It was so red and it looked so... elegant. If she dared touch it, it'd hurt her. It reminded her of herself.

Tiwa warily glances up at Tau before she continues to water the roses. "I've never seen the master do anything so riske." 

Tau shruggs. "I guess I do owe the savage a thank you." She picks up a strand of hair from her locks and looks at it closely. A look of distaste flickered on her features. "How does one take a bath around here?" 

Before Tiwa could answer the Earl Trancy and Alois rounded the corner in the maze of flowers. The Earl limped with his cane and Alois kept a resepctful distance between them. He glanced at Tau and she looked at him with a face void of emotion.

Tau wasn't stupid, she was simply... confused If Alois was his son why would the Earl purposefully hurt him to that extent? Sure, Binta would cuff her hard enough to make her bleed or at least to make her message clear. Alois' lip was busted and his eye was clearly swollen black and blue. His pale skin had angry red scratches across its canvas.

With an inward sigh, Tau swallowed her chewy pride and nodded at the flaxen haired boy. Even though they didnt speak the same language, the message was somehow delivered.

'Thank you.'

~♡~

"Ai!" 

"What happened?" 

"Fayaadha?! The water is hot!"

Tiwa wanted to be angry but she couldn't. She laughed, she let out a loud boisterous laugh. 

"Whats funny?!" Tau asked, flinching at Tiwa.

"Tau, the water is not remotely hot." Tiwa dipped her fingers into the tub of warm water. "We do not athe with cold water over here, Tau. If you do, you'll catch a horrible sickness called the 'Flu'."

Tau arched her eyebrow. "So I am supposed to burn in hot water? Do I look like Jaguar soup to you?!"

Tiwa pulled a wash cloth from her apron. "Now sit still, there is a lot of grime under your nails." She hums as she approaches Tau.

"AH! TIWA! FAYAADHA?!"

...

Annoyed and embarrassed, more embarrassed and scrubbed sore, Tau was put into her new atire- since she was made to be a house slave.. It was more annoying, making her features contort into discomfort. 

She wore a corset that hugged her already shaped and curvy waist, going up under her big perky breast and it was dark purple in color with black vertical lace along with a black lace up of ribbons in the back. Over that she wore a long sleeve petticoate that was dark purple in color and over that, a purple and white maids uniform with frills and lace at the edges was placed and squeezed and hugged her, being a size or two smaller than herself thanks to perverted Earl Trancy. Calve high white socks hugged her strong calves and black mary Janes were on her small feet. Upon her head she wore a purple and white maids bonnet to top off the look.

 

"I look stupid." Tau snapped as she stared at herself in the mirror.

Not only does it confide her to the slavehood she was forced into but it forced the European standards and name upon her. She did not like it. She did not like it, at all.

"It is what you must wear. You cannot strut about here in a dirty white dress and no shoes, Tau." Tiwa said from behind her. 

Hannah whipped around and looked at her. "I strut around here how I please and my black ass will be on display for the likes of whoever I want it to be on display for. Nakedness is not rude, Tiwa." Hannah scoffed. "Did you not forget you came from your mother naked?"

Tiwa sighed. "Tau..."She looked up and saw that Hannah was already on the move towards the window. "Tau- where in Allah's world are you going? The door is right there-!"

"To hunt and gather. Oh, and how do you say 'Safe' in that gibberish language?"

~♡~

Alois hesitantly touched the puffy blue-black skin around his eye and frowned. His bottom lip wasn't looking too good either. There was a angry red split on the right corner and it hurt anytime he'd touched it.   
There really was nothing he could do but let it heal. His knowledge on healing salves were really nonexistent. Alois got up from his vanity and picked up his walking cane and gingerly walked out of his bedroom, his mind set on his sacred bluebells.

They looked quite nice this time of year.

...

Hannah sat perched high up in a tree. She'd never quite seen a tree like it; big, brown and chocolate with deep green oddly shaped leaves. An oak tree, she would soon come to know.

She silently listened, picking up any sounds that were made around her. There was a constant cracking of twigs. 

Alois made his way through the forest that lay around the estate to find his scared bluebell patch. He slowly walked along the path, taking his time. All of his lessons for today were cancelled and father had no further use for him. 

He purposely stepped on every twig in his path to hear the satisfying crack in his ears. Glancing around at his surroundings, he spotted a pair of flat mary janes at the base of an oak tree. 

'Why would one of the maids be this far out?' he asked himself as he curiously looked around. When the answer did dawned on him he barely had enough time to form the name on his lips before Hannah jumped down from the tree, knocking him off of his feet.

Alois' eyes widened with fear and he scrambled away from her. If she beat father senseless what would she do it him? Out here? With no one around?

"Hannah..." He said in a warning tone as she advanced upon him. "Now l-lets not be brash-"

Hannah grabbed his foot and pulled him towards her and he begab to struggle, wildly kicking his legs. Hannah scowled at the impromptu kick she received to her jaw. Binta hit way harder than that, all that did was annoy the shit out of her.

"Stay still!" She snapped in her own native tongue as she leaped ontop of him and grabbing his hands, pinning them on the forrest floor.

"Ow-" Alois croaked in English. "You're h-heavy." 

Hannah ignored his gibberish as she lowered her face to his own. Her intense sapphire eyes locked with his icy blue eyes. It was quiet for a moment. Hannah let go of his hands, slowly but surely as she sat up.

"Safe..." She said quietly in English. "Safe." she repeated a bit louder so he could hear.

Alois couldn't believe his ears. That was the first English word she had said to him, on her own accord. And she wasn't cursing at him, for once since her arrival! "Safe?" he asked. 

Hannah nodded. "Safe." She said as she produced a small wooden bowl full of a weird looking concoction.

Her voice sounded lovely. In her native tongue it sounded strong, fierce as if she was always commanding something or someone. When she spoke English her whole persona lightened up, she seemed softer... more feminine.

She reached out and hesitantly touched Alois' split lip before tenderly touching the bruised skin around his eyes. Hannah glanced up at Alois before she looked down at the concoction in her wooden bowl, but her eyes split back up to him. He was looking at her in a way she didn't like... his eyes were softer towards her- they weren't like they normally were, piercing through her with his cold calculating gaze. 

Tau flinched at him, growling and baring her teeth. "WHAT?" She snapped in Afrikaan.

Alois flinched, shutting his eyes. "Sorry-"

Swirling her finger in the gooey concoction, Hannah collected some on her finger before dabbing it on his lip, tracing his thin lips with the gooey substance. She could not believe how thin his lips were, how did he even-.

'Its not your concern, Tau.' She told herself.

She dabbed some on the skin around his eye, working gently. She gently slapped his cheek two times, prompting him to open his eyes. They locked eyes once more. She nodded at him and got up off of him. In less than a minute, she was gone.

Alois let out a sigh. "Safe..."


	9. Shekini

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> God, I love that song.

"Otu de! oya sare wa gba kekere kerewawo!" 

"Atu ti de! oya burukutu make e sarabara owey." 

"I get power eh," Hannah made her face serious as she dipped to the floor and came up, her left hand in the air to praise allah, her palm open. 

"Me I no dey bother yeh," Tiwa gathered her dresses so her feet bare feet could be seen and she moved her body, a little bit faster than Tau.

"ENGLISH. I will not tolerate that foolery in my estate." Charles announced from the staircase above the garden. 

Tiwa stopped dancing, dropping her dresses and standind at attention. She folded her hands infront of her and she nodded. "Yes, master Charles." She said in English.

"Na we be the brothers," Hannah defiantly kept singing, she nudges Tuwa as she popped her hip out, jamming Tiwa with her large waist. "Wey dey scatter all over the borders (alen)!" Hannah gyrated her body, her waist and her backside shaking with her. 

Charles screwed up his face at Hannah and tried to keep his composure. He knew she was well enough to give him a beatdown, that she was genetically stronger than him. He considered giving her a whipping but decided against it. Master Alois had ordered her not to be touched and he did not want to risk his job.

"Hannah!" he hissed in a commanding tone. "Damn it, you ignorant nigga I said to stop!" 

Tiwa bit her bottom lip and tapped Hannah's shoulder, warningly. "Tau," she said in a low, careful tone.

Before she could utter another word, Hannah was already half way up the path towards Charles. Charles eyes widened and he took a hesitant step backwards, putting his hand out.

"You thought I forgot about you, eh?" Hannah snapped as the first blow connected. She knocked Charles a step back. She came in with a left hook, knocking his jaw upwards as spit flew out of it. Hannah grabbed one of the beautiful flower vases and launched it at Charles, making him bleed and staining his white uniform with dirt.

"My name is Tau Guobadia!" Hannah tightened her fist and sent it straight into Charles' neck. She dodged a desperate attempt to defend himself. "I will be respected!" She grabbed his neck and hoisted him up before throwing him down on the marble platform. 

Charles cried out, pain all over his chiseled features. Hannah screwed up her face, hawked and spat on Charles. "Disgusting."

All of the estate slaves who were in the area gathered around to witness the beatdown of the Charles the Butler and they were quite happy. 

Hannah felt the urge to look up, feeling eyes pry at her and when she did, Alois was glaring down at her. Hannah kissed her teeth and flung him a wave of her hand, dismissing him before she walked off. Tiwa hurried after her, holding her mary janes in one hand.

...

"Fayaadha? Now what will the master do to you?" Tiwa snaps at Hannah, giving her a rough clap on her shoulder.

Hannah sighed and rubbed her shoulder. "I am no one's slave, neither anyone's 'nigga'." She plopped down at the foot of a oak tree, her dresses spreading out around her. 

Tiwa sighed and rubbed her temples. "Tau..." 

All is quiet for a while. Tiwa comes and sits beside Hannah and hugs her knees to her chest. 

"Do you actually believe we'll walk the soils of Ethiopia again?" she asked quietly.

Hannah stares at the ground for a bit before she answered, gently. "A warrior always comes home in one way or another..."

 

~♡~

Earl Trancy opens his mouth as a young slave girl lowers a grape vine full of grapes into his mouth. He bit and the juicy grapes popped in his mouth. She wiped his mouth with a white rag and stepped aside. 

"What has the new slave been up to? The rebellious nigga?" He asked carefully. "I believe she has been whipped into submission?" His brown eyes fixed on his son.

Alois held the urge to sigh and rub his temples. Hannah was a force no one could tame or reckon with, anything set her into a frenzy. "Yes, Hannah has been dealt with sufficiently." he answered.

Earl Trancy purred, holding out his hand. The young slave girl understood his command and she climbed onto the jasmine love chair with him, lawlessly settling on the earl; anything to garuntee her family a better life. "Schedule a trip to the gutters for tomorrow at noon." He ordered as she perversely rubbed on the girls nearly developed body.

"Father!" 

"If she cannot be of use to this house she can be of use to my pockets." Earl Trancy waved Alois off. "Now leave us be."

"Father I'm begging you! You said I could have any slave of my liking and she'd be all for me after you made Tije go away!" Alois protested, taking a step forward. 

"Yes, but just not her." He groped the girl's round bottom. "What about Fran, here? She's great in bed." 

Alois' brow twitched in annoyance. "I did not want Pattie, I did not want Annie, nor Pippa or Rachel and I certainly do not want Fran." he said seriously. "I had Tije and you took her away! All I ask for is a friend and you take them away from me!"

Earl Trancy fixed Alois with a scalding look. "You are heir to this estate and my fortune and I cannot have you having soft spots all around for a nigga that is easily replaceable!"He violently threw Fran to the floor and her head hit the edge of the coffee table with a sick thump. She began to bleed, bright red blood spilling on the chocolate brown wooden floor. Fran quietly bared her chafe, knowing if she cried or moved it might afford her a whipping. 

"I never said I did!" Alois snapped right back at his father. "I've been studying them for years and since you took Tije away what am I to do? What can I learn?!" 

"They are replaceable, Alois!" 

"They are not! No one is the same!"

"I will have none of it! Another word and I will find myself another heir!"

Alois bit his tongue and pursed his lips. He turned away from his father and strutted to the door. He paused after opening the door, holding his hand out to the side. "Fran," he said expectantly. Fran slowly got up and limped to his side, taking his soft hand in her hard hand. Then they left, leaving Earl Trancy fuming.

...

"Just..." Alois placed a copper coin in Fran's hand, locking her fingers around it. "Stay out of his view for a few days, maybe a few weeks until you heal."

Fran looked down at his pale hands around her ashen brown hands. "Master?"

"Yes?"

"What if the Earl asks for me?"

Alois paused before saying. "I'll tell him you're in coma or dead, maybe. Now run along, I saw your mother by the stables."

"Thank you, master!" Fran said before quickly leaving the sunlight washed make shift infirmary.

He watched after her with a sigh. Did being the Earl Of Trancy mean he had to be a hearless brute like his father was?

"Send for Hannah," He said as he turned around to sterilize his utensils. A pale skinned house maid who was currently cleaning his room hurried off.

~♡~

Hannah had never even been past the second floor of the Manor. Two pale, pasty looking maids dressed the same as her escorted her and Tiwa on the third floor. Someone had summoned her. She hoped it wasn't that old saggy brute she gave a beatdown. 

They knocked and entered the sunlight washed bedroom and Alois was perched on the wide windowsill, his plum jacket on the floor.

"Annie, care to translate?" He asked but Tiwa knew it wasn't a request, it was an order. She quietly bowed her head and stepped back. 

Hannah set Alois with a tired, annoyed look. He had healed nicely over the last week, there was a soft outline of the bruises but they would soon go away.

"Hannah, my father requests that you go to the gutters because you are simply too rebellious." He began.

Tiwa translated, using Hannah's real name.

Hannah arched her eyebrow and quickly spat a sassy reply. "What?" she jutted out her hip. "am I supposed to bow to the whims of my opressors?"

Tiwa translated for Alois, not changing a single word out.

Alois sighed and rubbed his temples. "Tomorrow at noon," he continued. "Father and I, maybe Tiwa will be escorting you to the gutters where you will be fighting for money on behalf of the Trancy family." 

Tiwa translated in first person.

"No." Hannah said flatly before she tried to turn and leave. The maids joined together by the door, blocking the handles.

"When I bought you, I bought you because I wanted a... friend. But you are proving to be a hassle and father will put you down like a rabid dog if you do not obey." Alois said from his perch on the windowsill.

Tiwa translated, loud and clear.

Hannah sighed, relaxing her body a bit. She had way too much to live for and she had way too much to lose. she could not die right now. "So be it, if I must kill to survive I will kill. But do not mistake my kindness for weakness, I will kill you to survive if I must." 

Tiwa translated her message.

Alois could not formulate a reply before Hannah grabbed both maids by their hair and smacked their heads together before dropping them. With her path cleared, she left.


End file.
